Home Assistant Voice Control

Configure Assist pipelines, custom intents, wake words, speech processing, and voice satellites for local voice control.

Quick Start

Setting up Assist Pipeline

# configuration.yaml
assist_pipeline:
  pipelines:
    - language: en
      name: Default Pipeline
      stt_engine: faster_whisper  # Local STT
      tts_engine: tts.piper       # Local TTS
      conversation_engine: conversation.home_assistant
      wake_word_entity: binary_sensor.wake_word

Why this matters: The pipeline connects all components (STT, TTS, intent, conversation agent) into a single voice workflow.

Creating Custom Intents

# custom_sentences/en/turn_on.yaml
language: en
version: 1

intents:
  TurnOn:
    data:
      - sentences:
          - "turn on the [area] {name:list}"
          - "turn on {name:list}"
          - "[please] activate {name:list}"
        lists:
          name: light_names

lists:
  light_names:
    - "bedroom light"
    - "kitchen overhead"
    - "living room"

Why this matters: Custom sentence patterns enable natural voice commands tailored to your home.

Configuring Text-to-Speech (TTS)

Local Option - Piper:

tts:
  - platform: piper
    language: en_GB
    voice: jenny_dioco

Cloud Option - OpenAI:

tts:
  - platform: tts
    service: google_translate_say  # or openai, google cloud
    language: en

Why this matters: TTS gives voice feedback; local options require no cloud dependencies.

Configuring Speech-to-Text (STT)

Local Option - Faster Whisper:

stt:
  - platform: faster_whisper
    language: en

Cloud Option - Google Cloud Speech:

stt:
  - platform: google_cloud
    language_code: en-US

Why this matters: STT converts spoken commands to text; local options provide privacy.

Critical Rules

✅ Always Do

• ✅ Use custom_sentences/ directory for intent configuration (not deprecated sentences/)
• ✅ Test intents with Assist Developer Tools before deploying
• ✅ Use {name:list} syntax for slot-based entity matching
• ✅ Configure both STT and TTS engines in the same pipeline
• ✅ Verify wake word entity exists before enabling in pipeline
• ✅ Document intent lists so voice commands are discoverable

❌ Never Do

• ❌ Don't hardcode entity IDs in sentence patterns (use lists and slots)
• ❌ Don't forget version: 1 in custom_sentences YAML files
• ❌ Don't mix old sentences/ directory with new custom_sentences/ (use custom_sentences/ only)
• ❌ Don't enable Piper TTS without adequate disk space (models are 100+ MB)
• ❌ Don't use wildcard {query} for every slot (makes intents ambiguous)
• ❌ Don't skip testing with Assist Developer Tools

Common Mistakes

❌ Wrong - Hardcoded entity IDs:

intents:
  TurnOn:
    data:
      - sentences:
          - "turn on light.bedroom"
          - "turn on light.kitchen"

✅ Correct - Using slot lists:

intents:
  TurnOn:
    data:
      - sentences:
          - "turn on [the] {name:list}"
        lists:
          name: light_names

lists:
  light_names:
    - "bedroom"
    - "kitchen"

Why: Lists are dynamic and can be generated from Home Assistant entities programmatically.

Sentence Pattern Syntax

Slots

Named slots match list values:

sentences:
  - "turn on {name:list}"  # Matches list value, captures as 'name' slot

Lists

List matching provides slot values:

lists:
  room:
    - "bedroom"
    - "kitchen"
    - "living room"

Optional Groups

Square brackets make words optional:

sentences:
  - "[please] turn on the {name:list}"
  - "activate [the] {device:list}"

Wildcards

Wildcard slots capture any text:

sentences:
  - "remind me {reminder:text}"  # Captures any text as 'reminder'
  - "set a timer for {duration:text}"

Combined Pattern Example

intents:
  TurnOn:
    data:
      - sentences:
          - "[please] [turn on | switch on | activate] [the] {area} {name:list}"
          - "[please] turn on {name:list}"
          - "activate {name:list} [in the] {room:list}"
        lists:
          name: light_names
          room: room_names

  Reminder:
    data:
      - sentences:
          - "remind me {reminder:text}"
          - "[please] [create | set] a reminder [for me] [to] {reminder:text}"

lists:
  light_names:
    - "bedroom light"
    - "kitchen overhead"
    - "living room lamps"
  room_names:
    - "bedroom"
    - "kitchen"
    - "living room"

Why this matters: Flexible patterns enable natural phrasing while maintaining intent recognition accuracy.

Built-In Intents Reference

Home Assistant provides default intents:

Navigation Intents

• HassTurnOn / HassTurnOff - Control devices
• HassToggle - Toggle switches/lights
• HassOpenCover / HassCloseCover - Control covers
• HassSetClimate - Control climate (heat/cool)

Information Intents

• HassGetState - Get entity state
• HassGetHistory - Query automation history

Home Control Intents

• HassArmAlarm / HassDisarmAlarm - Arm/disarm alarms
• HassLockDoor / HassUnlockDoor - Control locks

Custom Intents

You create additional intents in custom_sentences/ by defining new intent blocks:

intents:
  CustomIntentName:
    data:
      - sentences: [...]

Wake Word Configuration

openWakeWord (Local)

conversation:
  engine: openai

# Enable openWakeWord
binary_sensor:
  - platform: openwakeword
    models:
      - alexa    # "Alexa, help"
      - hey_google  # "Hey Google, ..."
      - hey_siri

Porcupine (Local, Paid)

binary_sensor:
  - platform: porcupine
    access_key: !secret porcupine_key
    keywords:
      - hey_home_assistant

Voice Satellite Setup

Hardware Requirements

• Microphone: INMP441 (I2S digital) or similar
• Speaker: MAX98357A amplifier or similar
• Board: ESP32-S3, ESP32-S3-BOX-3 preferred
• Connectivity: WiFi required

ESPHome Voice Assistant Config

# ESPHome device
packages:
  voice_assistant: !include packages/voice_assistant.yaml

# Or inline configuration:
i2s_audio:
  i2s_lrclk_pin: GPIO33
  i2s_bclk_pin: GPIO34
  i2s_mclk_pin: GPIO32

microphone:
  - platform: i2s_audio
    id: mic
    adc_type: external
    i2s_din_pin: GPIO35
    pdm: false

speaker:
  - platform: i2s_audio
    id: speaker
    dac_type: external
    i2s_dout_pin: GPIO36
    mode: mono

voice_assistant:
  microphone: mic
  speaker: speaker
  noise_suppression_level: 2
  auto_gain: 80dB
  volume_multiplier: 0.8

Why this matters: Voice satellites extend Assist to multiple rooms with local processing.

Speech Processing Configuration

Language Support

Full Support (20+ languages): en, de, fr, it, es, nl, pl, pt, ru, sv, tr, uk, zh, ja, ko, and more

Partial Support (40+ languages): Regional variants and additional languages with varying STT/TTS availability

Community Support (80+ languages): Community-contributed sentence templates

Language Config:

assist_pipeline:
  pipelines:
    - language: de  # German
      name: Deutsche Pipeline
      tts_engine: tts.piper  # Set voice per language

Performance Tuning

STT (Faster Whisper):

stt:
  - platform: faster_whisper
    language: en
    model: base  # tiny, base, small, medium, large
    acceleration: gpu  # CPU or GPU

TTS (Piper):

tts:
  - platform: piper
    voice: en_GB-jenny
    rate: 11025  # Audio sample rate
    volume_normalize: true

Conversation Agent Integration

Built-in Agent:

conversation:
  engine: home_assistant

OpenAI Agent:

conversation:
  engine: openai
  api_key: !secret openai_api_key
  model: gpt-4

Custom Conversation Agent:

conversation:
  engine: custom
  module: custom_components.my_agent

Common Intent Patterns

Device Control Pattern

intents:
  TurnOn:
    data:
      - sentences:
          - "turn on [the] {name:list}"
          - "[please] activate {name:list}"
        lists:
          name: light_names

Climate Control Pattern

intents:
  SetClimate:
    data:
      - sentences:
          - "set [the] {room:list} [thermostat] to {temp:number} degrees"
          - "make it {temp:number} in [the] {room:list}"
        lists:
          room: room_names

Query Pattern

intents:
  GetState:
    data:
      - sentences:
          - "what is the temperature [in the] {room:list}"
          - "is [the] {name:list} on"
        lists:
          room: room_names
          name: device_names

Testing with Developer Tools

1. Go to Developer Tools → Assist
2. Enter test sentence: "turn on the bedroom light"
3. Check:
   • ✅ Intent matched correctly
   • ✅ Slots extracted properly
   • ✅ Audio plays (if TTS configured)
4. Debug mismatches by:
   • Reviewing sentence patterns
   • Checking list values
   • Verifying slot names

Troubleshooting

Intent Not Recognized

Symptoms: Voice command doesn't match any intent

Solution:

# Check custom_sentences directory structure
ls -R config/custom_sentences/

# Verify YAML syntax
cat config/custom_sentences/en/custom.yaml

# Test in Assist Developer Tools with exact phrase
# Adjust sentence patterns to match expected phrasing

TTS/STT Engine Not Working

Symptoms: "Engine not available" error in Assist

Solution:

# Verify engine is configured
service: tts.piper  # Must exist

# Check dependencies installed
pip install piper-tts  # for Piper
pip install faster-whisper  # for Whisper

# Restart Home Assistant to load engines

Wake Word Not Triggering

Symptoms: Binary sensor stays off despite noise

Solution:

# Verify entity_id is correct
service: homeassistant.update_entity
target:
  entity_id: binary_sensor.wake_word

# Check binary sensor configuration
# Review noise levels and model sensitivity
# Test microphone separately

Voice Satellite Connection Issues

Symptoms: ESP32 disconnects from WiFi or Assist pipeline

Solution:

# Check WiFi signal strength in ESPHome logs
# Reduce WiFi distance or add access point
# Update ESPHome firmware
esphome run voice_assistant.yaml --upload-speed 115200

Dependencies

Required

Component	Version	Purpose
Home Assistant	2024.1+	Assist platform
Faster Whisper	0.5+	Local STT engine
Piper TTS	1.0+	Local TTS engine

Optional

Component	Version	Purpose
OpenWakeWord	0.3+	Wake word detection
Porcupine	Latest	Premium wake word
ESPHome	2024.1+	Voice satellite devices

Official Documentation

• Home Assistant Voice Control
• Assist Pipeline Configuration
• Intent Recognition Guide
• Conversation Integration

Setup Checklist

Before using voice commands, verify:

• Assist pipeline configured with STT, TTS, and conversation engine
• custom_sentences/en/ directory created with intent definitions
• Sentence patterns tested in Assist Developer Tools
• Wake word entity exists (if using wake word)
• Microphone and speaker working (test via Developer Tools)
• Intent lists contain correct entity aliases
• Language setting matches your configuration
• All YAML syntax is valid (no tabs, proper indentation)